Corn-planter



(Nd Model.)

T; .S. RICHARDS.

Corn Planter.

No. 231,614. Patnted Aug. 24,1880.

N. PEI'ERS, PMOTO-UTHOGRAPHER. WASHINGTON, It:v 2v

1G is the draft-tongue.

sure States THOMAS S. RICHARDS, OF BUNKER HILL, ILLINOIS.

CORN-PLANTER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 231,614, dated August 24, 1880. Application filed April 10, 1880. (No model.) I

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, THoMAs S. RICHARDS, residing at Bunker Hill, in the county of Macoupin and State of Illinois, have invented Improvements in Corn-Planters, of which the following is a specification.

My invention consists in an attachment for cornplanters for the automatic dropping of the corn in hills; and it consists in the combination of the parts, as set forth in the claims.

In the drawings, Figure l is a top view of my improvement Fig. 2 is a detail perspective view of parts of the same. Fig. 5 is a detail section, showing the construction of one of the connecting-pins of the feed-slide and their connection with their actuating-disk.

A A are the wheels, made to turn freely on the axle B, except when clutched thereto. O is part of the frame. This is shown as connected to the axle by standardsNN. It may also be extended and have bearing upon the axle outside the wheels, or have any suitable construction or connection that will not interfere with the free rotation of the axle.

D is the drivers seat. E E are the seed boxes or hoppers, and F F seed-slides, by which the seed is allowed to escape, a few grains at a time, from the hopper E, as usual. H is a disk, caused to oscillate by an eccentric-rod, I, actuated by an eccentric, J, upon the axle. The connection between the seed-slides and the disk is made by means of rods K, pivoted to the seedslides and pivoted to the disk H by means of pins L, secured in a slot, M, extending in a tangential direction in the disk. Each pin is held in the slot "by a nut, l, upon its lower end, which bears against the under side of the disk each side of the slot.

Z is a flat part of the pin, fitting in the slot, so as to prevent the turning of the pin. Z is a shoulder resting upon the top of the disk. L is a pin similar to the pins L, and secured in the same mannerin a slot, M, extending in a radial direction in the disk H. By this construction the pin L can be placed nearer to or farther from the axis of the disk, so as to increase or diminish the oscillatory play of the disk, and consequent movement of the seedslides.

The axle turnsfreel y in bearings at the lower ends of standards N N, (firmly fixed to the frame C, or forming partthereof,) except when clutched thereto by means of the clutch-collars O, which slide on the axle, but are compelled to turn with the axle by suitable splines or pins Working in longitudinal slots in the axle. The fixed member of the clutch upon the stand ard is shown at a, and consists of a crowngear matching with a similar gear, m, upon the clutch-collar 0. m is a similar crown-gear upon the outside of the clutch-collar, engaging with another similar gear, a, upon the inside of the hub of the wheel A, so as to enable the axle to be clutched to the wheels by engaging the crown-gears m with. those, a, of the hubs. Thus it will be seen that the clutchcollars may occupy a medial position between the hubs of the wheels N, and then the axle freely turns in the standards; or the axle may be clutched to either the standards or the wheels. In the latter case the wheels actuate the feed-slides through the described mechanism. This is the position of the parts as shown in Figs. 1 and 2.

The clutch collar has a circumferential groove, 0 receiving the shoes 1) of the forked lever P or P, so that the oscillation of the lever causes the clutch-collar to move endwise upon the axle.

The levers P and P are fulcrumed to the frame 0 at p, and connected, respectively, to the upper and lower arms of a hand-lever P by rods Q, the arrangement being such as to cause both clutch-collars M to move outward or inward simultaneously. It It are markers hinged at the inner ends to the lugs O of collars O, and extending radially from the axle. These markers (when the collars O are engaged with the wheels) rest against the inner side of the rims of the wheels, under the influence of the springs S, which are secured to lugs T upon the collars O, and whose ends engage in slots or orifices r of the markers.

U is a wheel fast upon the axle, having upon its sides pins or studs V, which are engaged by the foot to move the axle around when the clutch-collar O is disengaged from. both the wheels and the frame.

It will be understood that both collars 0 and markers It always turn with the axle, and

when the collars O are moved inward from the wheels that the markers turn outward on their hinges, under the influence of the springs S, and the points are retracted, so that they will not obstruct the movement of the machine by contact with the earth.

When the collars 0 are in their inner posi' tion the markers bear against shoulders at the outer sides of their hinge-lugs 0, so as to limit their outward movement, (under the influence of springs S.)

The operation is as follows: In planting, the ground is opened by any suitable form of furrow-opener, (not shown,) and the corn is dropped from the hoppers at regular intervals. The parts are then in the position shown, with the axle and wheels clutched together and the markers projecting beyond the rim of the wheels, and indicating the positions of the hills of corn. Supposing in starting across the field, the position of the markers does not agree with the rows last planted, the foot is placed on one of the pins V, and the axle turned until the markers are brought into the proper position. Then the axle is clutched to the wheels, and the planting may proceed.

In turning at the ends of the rows, or in moving the machine from place to place, the axle is unclutched from the wheels and may be clutched to the frame, so as to prevent its rotation. Thus the markers and seed-dropping mechanism are kept at rest.

When it is desired to plant only one row, either of the connecting-rods K can be disconnected from its pin, and that seed-slide would remain at rest.

It is necessary that the circumference of the Wheels should measure just twice the distance that the hills are apartwhere two markers are used, and it is proper that the distance from the center of the axle to the point of dropping from the seed-hopper should be just the distance from hill to hill, so that when the markers are at one hill the corn shall be dropping just one hill in ad vance. Thus where the seedhoppers are just in line when starting across the field the markers are placed in a vertical position, and then the collars M coupled to the hubs and the machine driven forward.

I claim as my invention- 1. The combination of an axle, B, turning loosely in its bearings, wheels A A, turning loosely on the axle, and double-acting clutchcollars 0, locking the wheels to the axle, or the axle to the frame, at will, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

2. The combination of the wheels A, axle B, compound clutch M m m n, brackets N, levers P P P, and connecting-rods Q Q, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

3, The combination, with the wheels A and compound clutches O m m n, of the radial markers It, hinged to the clutch-collars O, and controlled by springs S, so as to be extended radially and caused to revolve with the wheels when the clutclrcollars are moved outward or retracted, and held at rest when the clutchcollars are moved inward.

4. The combination of eccentric-rod I, disk H, pin L in radial slot H, pins L L in slot M, rods K K, and seed-slides P P, substantially as set forth.

5. The combination of wheels A, axle B, clutch 0 m m 02, markers It, and springs S,

constructed to operate substantially as set 75\ forth.

THOS. S. RICHARDS. Witnesses WM. N. Bum), D. (J. PEDEN. 

